Photograph by George Sakkestad
Believe it or not, this is the Flint Center, rocked by Mötley Crüe two weeks ago.
Taking Flint Into the Future
A wider range of offerings moves Flint into the 21st century
Story by Pam Marino
Audience members witnessed history here when Steve Jobs stood on its stage in 1984, introducing the Macintosh to the world. It has played host to the nation's most famous statesmen, musicians and writers, including Maya Angelou and Ray Bradbury. When Pavarotti comes to town, he uses it as his rehearsal hall.
It's the Flint Center for the Performing Arts, and, with nearly three decades behind it, the 2,400-seat theater is poised to move into the 21st century, taking along with it a new mission.
Traditionally known as the site of symphonies and Broadway shows, the Flint Center will soon showcase more contemporary acts. Take, for instance, two weeks ago, when the usually prim and proper Flint became loud and raucous when Mötley Crüe entertained an excited crowd. The center's general manager, Paula Davis, said most shows in the future will not be rock & roll, but having them once in awhile "keeps us on our toes."
It was a telling contrast to the symphony crowd and in a sense a sign of the times. As symphony audiences continue to shrink, not just here but nationwide, theaters are reaching out to a younger audience.
Davis said a new contract with Universal Concerts based in Los Angeles will bring in contemporary acts like Boz Scaggs, Kenny G, Ray Charles, Riverdance and others. The contract calls for Flint to host a minimum of 36 performances over the next year.
"We're excited about that because it means you'll see artists you don't normally get to see in the South Bay, except at Montalvo in the summer time," Davis said, referring to Villa Montalvo in Saratoga.
And a contract with Jam Productions in Chicago will mean popular Broadway shows will be made available. Next year the Broadway series includes "Fame," "Chicago," "Two Pianos, Four Hands" and "Showboat."
For the first time, Davis said, South Bay residents will get a chance year-round to see some big-name talent without having to drive all the way up the Peninsula and back.
The move could have the further result of putting Cupertino on the map as a center for entertainment and the arts. According to Cupertino Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Asbury that's good for the community, and it's good for the community's businesses.
"It is good quality entertainment that is local, and I think that is really, really important for our community," Asbury said.
The Chamber's Restaurant Council is already considering dinner/show packages to encourage people from around the area to come to Cupertino.
"It allows us to be a destination for entertainment," Asbury said.
Flint started as a college/community theater, built in 1971 on the De Anza College campus. Employees of De Anza ran the theater, renting it out to local music and theater groups for performances. It became the South Bay home for the San Francisco Symphony, as well as a regular venue for the San Jose Symphony. Arts and service to the community were the main goals, rather than profit.
"There were some good years and some really lean years," Davis said of the theater's budget situation in the early years. Later, in the fallout of Proposition 13 budget cuts, the Foothill-De Anza College District board began thinking about privatizing the theater's management. Davis said the community wasn't enamored of the idea, fearing a private company would squeeze out non-profit groups that had traditionally rented Flint for performances.
"They had a vested interest in making sure their agendas weren't turned upside down," Davis said.
In the end the college board brought in Theater Management Group to run the theater. In 1994 Davis was brought in by the company to become the general manager. Two years later the college approached Davis about forming her own company, she said. In 1997 Davis joined with her partner Anthony Kim to form their company Domusaurea, which is Latin for "golden house."
The company is responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the theater. It reports to the college district's comptroller, and ultimately to the board.
Davis proudly pointed out that the theater has consistently turned a profit over the last four years, something that doesn't always happen at similar-sized community theaters around the country. Last year the theater realized a $300,000 profit, which Davis said is put back into the theater's operation and maintenance.
A large part of what keeps Flint going is a volunteer force of more than 500 people, mostly retirees and students. The volunteers mainly work as ticket-takers and ushers, which means they get to see shows for free. Davis said they are a dedicated bunch: the volunteers who worked at the Mötley Crüe concert were senior citizens who realized the show would ultimately help support Flint and the other programs it provides to the community.
Although Davis said she used her contacts from 15 years in the music promotion business to attract new shows to Flint, another growing part of the center's business comes from corporations. Kim has worked on that front, attracting more businesses to use the center for company meetings and events. That side of the theater's business is up 300 percent since Domusaurea took over, they said. Thanks to what Davis called Jobs' "affinity" for Flint, the theater has been mentioned in national business magazines, which has elevated the theater's profile in the corporate world.
The only drawback to corporate business is that Domusaurea cannot book companies for the first two to three weeks of the fall and spring quarters, since traffic and parking around the campus are a major headache at those times, Davis said. She said they tried it once, not realizing the potential consequences, with disastrous results.
In addition to the new shows that will join the symphonies and other traditional Flint offerings, like the popular speaker series, physical changes are in the works, Davis said, like current work to upgrade the heating and ventilating systems.
A lawsuit brought last year by a disabled Santa Cruz man against the theater, the community college district and the San Jose Symphony has forced the construction of two new accessible women's restrooms and seating for disabled patrons. The construction will start this summer and be completed by the fall, Davis said.
Davis said that while it was unpleasant getting sued, she called it a "blessing in disguise." The result of the legal action was a freeing up of state funds to help finance the changes. A $150,000 grant from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation is also financing the construction.
Davis said future plans include replacing carpeting in the balcony level, refurbishing 20-year-old seats and adding a state-of-the-art light and sound system.
"We need to raise $1 million to replace all the seats in the building," she said.
As for programming, Davis said she and De Anza President Martha Kantor have discussed adding another speakers series. The current popular Celebrity Series focuses primarily on political themes; Davis said they believe there is room for another series that would focus on issues that would appeal to a younger female audience.
Davis is also working toward adding more shows for children.
"If not this fall then next fall I am absolutely committed to a children's theater series," she said. "Because there's not enough funding for arts in the schools, I think we have an obligation to offer reasonably priced children's programming."
Without abandoning the audiences like those that come for the symphonies, Davis said she would like to see more younger and ethnically diverse audiences enjoy Flint.
"We want to move the demographic to the generation of the future," she said. "We need to keep the viability of Flint Center alive."
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